Find Me
by Syumi
Summary: Everything was a lot simpler in their childhood.
1. Chapter 1

Hinata's grip on the fraying rope tightened when she felt Sasuke's hands on her back.

Without warning, he pushed her and stumbled back to where his brother was standing. She let out a yelp and watched the ground travel away from her before zipping backwards.

A fit of giggles left her lips as she swung on the makeshift swing, leaving the other two boys grinning in amusement. Her pearl eyes glanced back to look at them and she watched Itachi poke at Sasuke's forehead before the swing took her back up. She stole another glance to see Sasuke's irritated face and Itachi's warm smile directed at his brother.

Itachi eventually stopped the swing by grabbing onto both of the ropes and smiled down at her.

"Do you want to try Itachi-san?" She got up quickly as if he was begging her to.

Sasuke filled the empty spot on the seat and he looked up at Itachi's face with a triumphant smirk. Itachi's shocked expression quickly turned into a smirk of his own, a deadlier one.

Hinata stepped a few feet away as she watched the scene unfold. Itachi had pushed Sasuke hard enough that he had screamed when the swing was at least 12 feet up in the air.

Itachi walked over to where Hinata was standing, his arms crossed over his chest. He seemed proud of his work. She giggled quietly as she watched Sasuke try and regain his call demeanor, but the fear was still on his face.

* * *

Hinata would walk to the same tree that they had always played around as kids when she was stressed. The memory that stood out the most was when they, mostly Itachi, had taught her how to walk up the side of the tree just so she could go home to show her father.

She had fallen so many times that the bruise on her back was there for weeks. In the end though, her father seemed to be pleased with the sudden demonstration. She had earned a few needed points that day.

When she arrived to the old spot, it was darker out than she hoped it would be. She needed to be by herself for a while; sort things out in her jumbled head.

 _Itachi_

Her heart lurched at the thought of him once again, it seemed his presence would never leave her mind alone.

She remembered the horror she felt that day when her father informed her of the massacre that occurred. Her immediate reaction was to try and run past her father to check on her friends, but a strong grip left her screaming to be let go.

He explained that Itachi, who was missing, was the prime suspect and that Sasuke was still alive.

That was all she heard before the objects around her blurred through her tears and the pounding of her heart sounded loudly in her ears.

She shook her head to rid the horrible thought from her mind, already causing a few tears to gather in the corners of her eyes.

Itachi, the kind boy that always encouraged her and protected her.

Itachi, the murderer that killed his entire clan and spared his younger brother.

She tried to stay close with Sasuke but the massacre had left him a shell of what he used to be. He rarely spoke to her after-wards, his quest to destroy his brother clouded his corrupt thoughts. When she learned of his departure from the village, no surprise was evident on her face.

The wind had picked up and a sudden breeze brought strands of her hair up, causing a momentary lapse in her thoughts.

The shoulder length hair that she donned had grown longer, stopping at her waist, and she had changed her attire to something a bit more mature.

Her hand idly pressed against the rough bark and a sigh left her lips. The sky was already showing it's first signs of stars when she looked up. The frown on her lips deepened as her current situation weighed down on her as well.

Her father had talked to her about a future plan for a suitor and her ears tuned out the rest. He told her so calmly, as if they were discussing lunch plans.

The ceremony wouldn't happen until she was 18 but the thought of handing her life over to some stranger struck a nerve in her. She wished Itachi was there to offer some guidance or one of his warm smiles and an affectionate stroke of her hair.

She just wasn't cut out for marriage; her image was clumsy and her sentences came out in fragments rather than full sentences. Surely no one would want to be stuck with a failure of a heir.

A pair of scarlet eyes in the distant forest cut off her busy thoughts though and she felt her body freeze.

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"Itachi-san" She greeted the older boy with a smile, already knowing he preferred it over formal greetings. Her hand gripped a small basket filled with sandwiches and drinks that she prepared before coming to their spot.

His face was scrunched up in deep thought as he sat idly on the swing and Hinata stopped a few feet in front of him. Worry pooled in her chest as she watched his dull, inky eyes stare down at the ground.

The grip on the basket tightened as she waited for him to acknowledge her presence. Had something happened? Itachi never struck her as the type of person that let his inner conflicts show on his face, no, he was more conscious of it.

"Hinata" His voice came out rushed and almost shocked and she took a step back from the piercing eyes that had suddenly looked up at her.

"A-Are you o-okay?" She felt self conscious under his gaze and occasionally glanced around to break the uncomfortable stare he was giving her.

"I'm sorry _._ I'm just ..not" He stopped and she felt a frown tug at her lips as she watched him struggle with his words.

"I'm _tired_ " He stated softly.

Her heart felt like it had cracked at the vulnerable statement he let out. She had never seen him so hurt before.

It was obvious that his current condition was more than fatigue but she didn't want to pry more out of him in this state.

Instead, she set the basket down gently and pulled a small, folded up blanket from it. She laid out the sheet, carefully pushing all the wrinkles out of it.

Itachi watched dully from his spot on the swing as she set out two plates with neatly made sandwiches on them and two juice pouches.

He slowly rose from his spot on the swing and walked to the small blanket and plopped down in front of her. The small smile she gave him as she handed him a napkin put some normality back into his clouded thoughts.

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Hopefully you guys enjoyed this C: I really love this pairing~

This is my first uploaded fan fiction, so if there's any errors please let me know ! I'll fix them.

Also, any constructive criticisms are welcome ~ Please be nice ^_^ I'll be uploading the next chapter soon hopefully 3

Comments are highly appreciated !


	2. Chapter 2

_"Your fear will be the death of you"_

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She remembered the first time she had ever witnessed the Sharingan, though it was a lot less terrifying every time she thought about it after-wards.

Sasuke was sitting idly on the porch, biting into a piece of watermelon as he watched Itachi and his father spar. Hinata was peeking around the corner of the house and her eyes widened at the intensity of the fight. Her eyes glanced over at Sasuke and saw no concern written on his face. He actually looked more bored than anything.

The fight was a lot more elegant than she first thought though, both striking and blocking with perfect forms. Itachi seemed to get a few more hits on his father though and from the strained expression on Fugaku's face, he wasn't all too happy about it.

And then almost instantaneously, both of them activated their Sharingan and Hinata let out a large gasp. Weren't they only sparring?

If she wasn't so focused on the match, she would have noticed Sasuke casually walking over to her with a piece of watermelon in his hands. When she did realize the Uchiha standing in front of her, she let out a particularly loud scream and took off running back down the path that she came from.

Her eyes were closed as she ran, her breathing was heavy and her mind was only focused on one thing: getting home.

That objective was squashed short when she ran full force into a sturdy body.

The impact caused her to let out a groan of pain and she stumbled down onto the ground. Her eyes found a pair of black ones as she looked up.

"I-I..I wanted...I wanted to see if you..and Sasuke w-were home" She stammered out as she felt her cheeks redden from complete embarrassment. Itachi pulled her up from the ground and gave her a light chuckle.

"You didn't do anything wrong" He assured as he brushed off a few pieces of leaves and dirt that had gotten on her. His gentle nature still surprised her, since she was used to the strict voice of the Hyuga.

"Why did you run?" His face took on a different expression, almost like Sasuke's bored one but with more pain in his eyes.

Hinata rubbed her palms together and her eyes fell to the ground.

"Sasuke scared me"

X

Hinata took off running down the field, leaving the old tree behind as she pumped chakra into her feet. She never took her eyes off the ruby ones in the forest and a sense of hope and fear mixed together in her chest. Her breathing was slow even though her pace was anything but.

As she got closer she could see that it was indeed a human who possessed these eyes and her Byakugan activated almost by itself.

Then it was gone.

Hinata slid forward a few feet as she stopped herself, her eyes searching wildly for the person she wanted to see the most. Frustrated tears pooled in the corners of her eyes as she looked back at where she came from and back at the forest.

 _He was here_

 _He was watching me_

The thoughts willed her to jump up onto one of the branches of a large tree and continue her chase. Her expression was twisted up into complete concentration as she looked around the darkening forest. The rush of adrenaline kept her feet going and clouded any rational thought of stopping.

She wasn't going to throw away this opportunity.

The loud squeal of a hog disrupted her concentration though and sent her straight into a tree, knocking the air out of her lungs on impact. No noise left her opened mouth as she plummeted down to forest floor.

The last thing she saw before her vision was completely swallowed up by the black spots was the trademark cloud of the Akatsuki.

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I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far 'v'

Chapter 3 will be uploaded either tomorrow or the following day. I'm excited for this story and I'm hoping I can get to 15 chapters !

Thank you for reading and reviews are really nice, even if its one word C:


	3. Chapter 3

"Itachi-san doesn't seem...normal" Hinata couldn't help the frown on her lips as she rocked back and forth on her heels. Sasuke kicked up a bit of dirt as he swung on the swing at a leisurely pace.

"When has he ever been normal" She couldn't help notice the way he stared bitterly down at the lines he was creating with his toes.

X

"Wouldn't it have been easier to cut her legs off? She's going to wake up eventually" A chilling voice sounded in Hinata's ears. She couldn't actually tell where the voice was coming from or if it even existed at all.

"We'll be back soon" Came the voice of someone familiar. Maybe her situation wasn't as hopeless as it seemed but the first comment made her think otherwise.

Her eyes twitched open then and she would have smiled in relief if the action didn't cause a sharp jolt of pain to run through her head. A gasp left her mouth and she tried to pull her hands up to clutch at the pain but it seemed that only her eyes would work at the moment.

"Good morning, _hime_ " that horrible voice was a lot closer than she originally thought. Her eyes strained to see the face of that voice but a bamboo hat blocked her view. After watching for a few more moments she decided to look down at the object she was being carried on.

She recognized the enormous bandaged sword almost immediately and a new kind of terror bloomed in her already weak heart. The familiar sting of tears caused her to grit her teeth and hold back a sob.

X

"This isn't the time to cry about your situation, whats happened has happened and you need to deal with it" Neji's cold voice rang through the open field as Hinata held her bleeding knee. Her continued sniffling and trembling lips forced Neji to walk over to her and bend down.

"The bleeding will stop Hinata-sama" He pulled a roll of gauze from his pouch on his upper thigh and ripped a reasonable length piece off. With his Byakugan off, the boy wrapping her wound seemed a lot more approachable and her sobs died down.

"I might have gone a bit too far"

His strained tone betrayed his calm demeanor and she instantly knew that he was hopelessly frustrated with her. The pain in her knee seemed father away now that she was focused on the words he was telling her and the aggravation behind them.

He stood and glanced down at her, obviously waiting for her. She hopped up immediately, as if the injury was already healed.

"Show me again" She straitened out her back and looked at him with determined eyes.

The twitch of a faint smile on his lips caused her to raise her palms up again, her eyes blazing.

"Of course Hinata-sama"

X

"We should stop" The other voice that Hinata couldn't seem to figure out spoke again. The irritated growl that came from who she assumed was Kisame, caused another stabbing pain to cut into her skull.

"You said we were close" Kisame adjusted the sword on his shoulders and a groan left Hinata's mouth. She would choose another hit to a tree than suffer through an obvious concussion.

"2 days seems close enough"

She sighed as she let her head fall, there was no use trying to keep it up with the little energy she possessed at the moment.

"Oi, _hime_ are you dead?" The chuckle that left the shark mans mouth was anything but pleasant. He jolted the sword a little bit for affect and it caused her to jolt her head back up. She mustered up what she hoped was a nasty glare that was directed at the back of his head.

When he turned to glance back at her, she confirmed his identity from the blue-grey skin of his face.

"What a shame. I was curious to see if Hyuga blood is white too." Another string of chuckles left his mouth.

"Aren't you curious too, Itachi?" This set of chuckles were drowned out by Hinata's loud heartbeat in her ears.

 _Itachi?_

A painful, almost unreal pain rippled through her chest and for a moment she thought the shark man might have gave into his curiosities. The tears she was holding back now flowed freely down her face.

The thought of Itachi being here with this monster and _working together_ left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"You're talking too much"

His voice was clear now; clear enough that she wondered how exactly she couldn't have recognized him.

"Itachi-san" Her voice sounded so weak in that moment and she cursed herself for letting her heart take over.

It was silent for a few moments before the blaze of his eyes were inches away from her own. She didn't even have time to gasp before his genjutsu caught her.

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I hope the guest who reviewed chapter 2 knows that this chapter was published today because of you C: Your words were really kind and it gave me a boost to finish this chapter ! Thank you so much xxxx

As always, I hope you guys are enjoying the story c: If there's any errors please let me know~ I don't have a beta to read my chapters so there could be some grammer/spelling mistakes in there.

R&R little ones


	4. Chapter 4

I just wanted to quickly address the review left by forgetmenotlovely ~

Thank you for the advice, I was wondering if I was bringing about

the point of the story clear enough for everyone to understand and I realize

now that I do need to improve on transitions.

I kept your words in mind as I wrote this and I hope you'll stick with

me through this story !

R&R little ones

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. . . .

Pale fingers raised up to the clear blue sky and for a second Hinata didn't register them as her own. Itachi had shown her this genjutsu before when she begged him to teach her how to escape from the illusion. Him putting her into a similar version of it gave her some reassurance that he wasn't going to torture her.

She sighed in content at the lack of pain in her head and took notice of the field of flowers around her.

The lavender and lilac iris' seemed endless as she propped herself up on her elbows to examine her surroundings more accurately. Every time he sent her into this illusion, he changed the type of flower that was present in the field. This action made her go home that night to look through the library to find a book detailing types of plants, specifically flowers.

She remembered brushing her fingers across the purple flower on the page, whispering the meaning behind it. 

" _Iris"_ Her own childish voice sounded in her thoughts.

" _Although this flower has many meanings, it's most revered for the ability to purify evil energies.._ _"_

Hinata sighed as the voice faded.

The breeze brushed across her skin but it jolted her, almost as if the wind was rushing past her like the people in the market place would do. Her eyes skimmed the open field as she looked for a sign from Itachi.

A high pitched scream of a child sounded through the air and her head sharply turned to find the source.

Only the field of Iris' greeted her widened eyes as she stood up in high alert. The silence that followed the scream caused the hairs on her arms to rise in a shiver.

Another set of screams rang out, all seeming to be getting closer and she threw her head around in panic.

Her heart pounded loudly in her chest and she pressed her palms tightly against her ears to try and block out some of the awful sounds. The harder she pressed though, the louder it seemed to get. The thumping of her heart almost began to hurt as it beat against her chest while the screaming turned into a chorus of broken sentences and pleading words. 

_Spare me ..!_

 _Please please_

The dying shrieks of others filled the inside of her head and she continued to look around, desperately looking around to help.

A hand tugging on her jacket forced a gasp out of her lips as all the noises seemed to stop all at once. When she looked down however, a whole new type of terror filled her stomach.

A little boy was holding onto her with a few shaking fingers as the blood on his chest seemed to spread on the dirt caked shirt he wore. Hinata's eyes filled up with tears before she could even think and her body froze. 

"Momma...it hurts" His drooping eyes looked up at her before he collapsed onto his knees. 

Hinata moved to hold the boy but a screaming woman from behind her pushed her away to pull the boy into her chest.

The cries of the mother stabbed into Hinata's heart as she watched the scene unfold. She barely noticed the stream of tears cascading down her cheeks and onto the ground below.

"Please...please don't do this" The woman looked up at Hinata with wide, pleading eyes filled to the brim with tears. Her mouth continued to say these words like a mantra as she rocked back and forth with her child in hand.

Hinata shook her head slowly as she backed up, her body was trembling at the raw emotions flowing through the air. 

And then there was blood.

It covered her face in a few sprays as she brought her arms up in a late attempt to block the coppery substance. Droplets squeezed into her eyes and mouth and the urge to vomit filled her entire being.

As she wiped the blood away from her face, a large object rolled against her foot.

The wide eyes and open mouth of the woman starred up at her, frozen in place as her decapitated head rested against the ground. Hinata stumbled back a few feet as she looked up to see the rest of the woman's body on the ground with the child now laying on her chest, both completely still. 

Hinata threw up then, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the ground along with the blood that dripped off her face and hands. She collapsed onto her knees after. 

Her hallow eyes watched Itachi's teenage body sheath his bloody katana as he looked down at the body of the woman. The image he was painting for her in this genjutsu was an obvious message.

 _Murderer_

The words appeared in her head without her consent.

His scarlet eyes locked with hers and for a moment she was lost in them. The warm flow of tears kissing her cheeks continued and she reached up to wipe them away but stopped after realizing that blood still covered her hands.

Her pale eyes never left his as he turned around to fully face her, dropping down onto his knee in front of her.

He stared at her for a while before softly speaking. 

"You were always nothing to me" 

He brushed a few strands of hair from her face.

"Y-You're l..lying" She smacked his hand away with the little energy she possessed. "You wouldn't ..harm others..for the fun of it" her head shook as a sob forced itself from her mouth.

A sharp pain spread through her stomach as her eyes widened from the sudden pressure. She looked down and his blade glistened back up at her, covered in her own blood this time. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat as her shaking hands grabbed the blade that was imbedded inside of her.

Before she had a chance to remove it, her eyes watched him rip it out of her stomach in a quick motion leaving her own hands sliced open in a large open wound. A scream she didn't recognize left her mouth as she collapsed onto the ground in front of her.

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Hinata did her best to avoid the small shurikens as she flipped and left clones in her steps. A few grazed her arms and the sweat mingling in the cuts caused a unique amount of pain every time she moved. She watched Itachi's movements as he traveled through the thick brush of the forest, avoiding the small traps he left for her.

Itachi had promised to train her twice every month alone and three times with Sasuke present when he wasn't busy with his missions. She could admit that he was very intimidating when she didn't have Sasuke's aggravated comments to fill the air.

When she locked eyes with his red, narrowed ones she stumbled. His eyes widened momentarily as he halted his step, three metal blades glistening in his hand.

Hinata gritted her teeth to suppress the scream threatening to spill out of her lips as she looked down at the shuriken imbedded into her thigh. Before she could fall, Itachi steadied her shoulders and glanced down at the bleeding wound.

"I'm sorry" He sighed as he gently guided her down onto the ground. He knelt down as he pulled a roll of bandages from the small pouch on his thigh and set it on the ground.

"This will hurt" His hand hovered over the weapon while his eyes stared at hers with guilt swimming in them. She shook her head slowly and closed her eyes, trying to focus on her breathing instead.

When he pulled her head into the crook of his shoulder her eyes flew open and the searing pain of metal ripping out of her tender skin struck her.

She cried out and wrapped her arms around his middle as he wrapped her leg up with bandages in the delicate manner only he seemed to possess.

Tears fell onto his shirt as she held onto him even after he was done dressing the wound which he didn't seem to mind as he pulled her closer by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap.

They breathed in each others scent for a while, enjoying the warmth that they created. It was rare that Itachi indulged in these moments, usually pushing her away from him. (In the most polite way of course) 

"I'll never let anyone harm you" He murmured into her ear, almost possessively.

The pain in her leg disappeared as his words echoed through her head.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello~ I'm back again with another update.

I want to use this space again to thank Chise, TheEternalRise, and the two guests that left reviews for chapter 4 ! You guys are fueling my inspiration and I really appreciate it (:

R&R little ones

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The early morning sunshine forced Itachi to squint his eyes open again, irritation bubbling inside of his chest. He had woken up a few hours before the sun had risen to enjoy the light of dawn but dozed back off without realizing it. No matter how old he got, he never grew into a morning person.

His back ached a bit from leaning on the rocky walls of the cave that they decided to camp in the night before and he stretched his arms out before letting a yawn escape his dry lips. Besides his complaints of waking with the sun, the sounds of the morning forest always relaxed him, reminding him of better times.

But instead of enjoying the moment, his eyes would glance down at the whimpering girl beside him. Another one of his ghosts that he thought he'd left behind for good was now breathing an arm length away.

He didn't understand what compelled him to stick that blade through her. The stubbornness in her words, dismissing him as a killer, struck a cord deep inside of him. He didn't understand the girl he left behind so long ago.

He wondered idly if Sasuke would ever look at him with the same hope that she displayed. He dismissed the thought immediately after. It wasn't like he deserved it.

A small sob escaped her lips and he once again turned his head to stare down at her.

He loved her of course, but there was no future where he would act on those feelings. He decided that a long time ago.

She clenched a spot on her stomach, her fist tightening into a ball while her knuckles turned white. His heart stirred with what he assumed was guilt but the feeling was so natural to him that it didn't faze him like it did before.

"Itachi.." She spoke his name in a pained whisper.

Before he could stop himself, his fingers reached out to stroke the soft skin of her cheek.

Her whimpers died down and he wondered for a moment if she was waking up and his hand paused.

When her breathing evened out again, he resumed running his fingers across her cheek. As he did he noticed her face relax and her hand fell from her stomach. He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. His eyes closed momentarily to enjoy the moment.

When he did open his eyes again, his gaze fell on the small fire and he retreated his hand from her. It quietly popped and the flames danced around the pieces of logs placed in a tight circle. He fidgeted with his cloak, rubbing the dark material between his fingers.

He wondered what she thought of him, what thoughts ran through her head when she heard his name. It was pointless to want to know such a thing when he already had a good guess but it lingered on his mind anyway.

Footsteps at the front of the cave alerted Itachi to his partner, forcing him to look over at the other man who had left earlier to check around the area.

"There's a town a few miles away" Kisame grinned, his pointed teeth sparkling.

"Want to go get breakfast?" The shark man asked after Itachi failed to give him a response.

"I'd rather not" Itachi looked back down at the fire.

"Tch starve then" Kisame snickered, probably enjoying the thought of it and jumped out from the large opening.

He just couldn't conjure up an appetite

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X

"F-For you" Hinata held out a small container wrapped securely with a lavender cloth.

He blinked a few times before he let her drop the box into his hands. The warmth from the bottom of the box spread onto his palm and registered that this was a bento box. The initial shock seemed to carry on as he tried to find his voice again.

"Y-You...I noticed you haven't been eating properly" She glanced up at him with a light blush stained on her cheeks.

His widened eyes fell back into his normal, tired stare and his thoughts lingered on the reason of his lack of self care. At the age of 13, his membership of Anbu would seem like a joke to anyone that didn't know him. Even Hinata expressed her concern after she was informed of it but she knew that he was more than capable of handling himself.

"You didn't have to trouble yourself" The words left his mouth after he realized she was waiting for him to speak.

She shook her head and clasped her hands behind her back "I have time in the morning."

"Thank you" He gave her a warm smile, watching her fidget under his gaze. When he turned to walk away from her she reached out to grab the sleeve of his shirt.

"Rely on me more Itach-san" She looked at him with determination swimming in her eyes and he lost his will to speak again.

X

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Again, his gaze fell on the girl besides him. He itched to touch her again and he wished that he didn't indulge in that earlier.

When her eyes fluttered open, he watched numbly as the life ran back though her body. She struggled to push the upper part of her body off the ground and kept a hand pressed against her stomach. Her forearm pressed into the dirt as she succeeded in keeping her face out of the dirt.

"Iris.." She coughed.

He looked over at her, his eyes glinting in interest.

"What was the point?" She asked as she looked up at him, despair swimming in her pale eyes.

He turned the question over and over again in his head as he thought about the flower. His eyes watched strands of her hair fall from her shoulder, the long locks pooling on the ground.

"We'll be staying here for a few days" He decided to ignore her question and looked back to the spot in front of him.

"What do you want with me?" She asked after a few minutes of silence and he closed his eyes.

"I'm not the person you should be asking that" He didn't exactly know what Pein-sama wanted from the girl but he guessed it was her byakugan.

She remained silent as she pushed herself off the ground and into a sitting position as she leaned against the wall for support. He could feel her gaze on the side of his face as if it was brushing against his cheek.

And then her arms were around his neck before he could register it in his head. His eyes widened considerably as his fingers dug into the dirt. Her body was shaking against him as her arms tightened their hold on him. After a minute he realized that the trembling was coming from his own shocked body.

The small sobs that left her lips was the only thing he heard for a while as he tried to decide to either push her away or pull her closer.

When his arms wrapped around her middle and crushed her against him, all of his willpower washed down the drain and his eyes closed. For the first time in a while, he breathed in the earthy scent of her hair as his nose pushed into her neck.

"You never let me help you" She mumbled against his shoulder. He remained silent and still, worried that if he dared to move she would crumble away in his fingers.

"Y-You..never let me take the burden off your shoulders" Her pained voice forced him to pull her closer, if it was possible. His head had finally cleared enough to start thinking logically once again and his eyes cracked open to gaze at the fire. Everything seemed to slow down around him as his grip on her loosened.

His hands fell onto her shoulders to push her away enough so he could look at her face but she remained glued onto him.

He knew he could just force her off of him but the thought left a sour taste in his mouth. He decided to turn his head to gaze at the opening of the cave instead, a warm feeling blossoming inside of his chest as his hands fell against the ground.

 _You can't help me._


End file.
